Amaranthe VI: Verge: Amaranthe Collections, #6

By G. S. Jennsen

AMARANTHE VI: VERGE delivers over 1,400 pages of thrilling Sci-Fi Adventure
**Includes the final three novels in the Riven Worlds series (All Our Tomorrows, Chaotica, Duality), the latest saga in the Amaranthe universe**

 

Humanity has seized its destiny among the stars. But space remains vast and untamed, and nothing has prepared us to face the dangers rising from the deep shadows of the void.
In Amaranthe, where exotic alien life, AIs, wormholes, indestructible starships and the promise of immortality rule the day, no feat seems out of reach for humanity. But when the worlds of Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir collide and the Rasu horde descends upon them both, more will be asked of heroes past and future. More will be given and more taken, and when the dust settles the very fabric of Amaranthe will be changed forever.
*
ALL OUR TOMORROWS (Riven Worlds Book Four)
War has come to Concord. Now no one and nowhere is safe.
When indestructible warships and dimension-tearing weapons are not enough to defeat the enemy, how do you protect thousands of worlds and trillions of citizens from a Rasu tidal wave bent on devouring everything in its path?

 

The Rift Bubbles offer much-sought protection, but is the safety they promise anything more than an illusion? A weapon crafted by the nearly extinct Ourankeli may hold the key to gaining the upper hand—or it may be a doomsday bomb too dangerous to chance wielding. The Asterions strive tirelessly to improve upon and create new weapons that can kill Rasu, even as Nika Kirumase draws tantalizingly close to unlocking the true power of kyoseil.

 

Yet for every strategic move Commandant Miriam Solovy makes to thwart the Rasu's advances, the enemy swiftly counters in a deadly battle of escalation.

 

We don't need to fear death, for it cannot hold us.

Regenesis, long the exclusive domain of Anadens, begins to take root in human society. But the possibility of immortality for all does not sit well with those who would rather keep it for themselves. When a conspiracy to sabotage the future of regenesis is uncovered, an unlikely advocate decides to risk his one-and-only life to bring the perpetrators to justice.

 

And amidst all the conflict, the enigmatic Katasketousya have been playing a secret long game with the fate of the universe. Now events race toward a rendezvous with their unfolding machinations, and the resulting collision is going to change everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hypernova Publishing
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781957352091

G. S. Jennsen

G. S. JENNSEN lives somewhere in the U.S., in a locale that may or may not be where she lived the last time she published a book (she’s a gypsy at heart), with her husband and one or more dogs. She has become an internationally bestselling author since her first novel, Starshine, was published in 2014. She has chosen to continue writing under an independent publishing model to ensure the integrity of her stories and her ability to execute on the vision she has for their telling. While she has been a lawyer, a software engineer and an editor, she’s found the life of a full-time author preferable by several orders of magnitude. When she isn’t writing, she’s gaming or working out or getting lost in the mountains that loom large outside the windows in her home. Or she’s dealing with a flooded basement, or standing in a line at Walmart and wondering who all these people are (because she’s probably new in town). Or sitting on her back porch with a glass of wine, looking up at the stars, trying to figure out what could be up there. * Website: gsjennsen.com. Newsletter: gsjennsen.com/subscribe Twitter: @GSJennsen Facebook: facebook.com/gsjennsen.author * Newsletter: smarturl.it/gsjennsen-subscribe Twitter: @GSJennsen Facebook: facebook.com/gsjennsen.author

Book preview

AMARANTHE VI: VERGE

(Riven Worlds: Volume Two)

G. S. Jennsen

Hypernova Publishing LogoHypernova Publishing Colophon

2023

AMARANTHE VI: VERGE

(Riven Worlds: Volume Two)

Copyright © 2021-2023 by G. S. Jennsen

Cover art by Ivan Zann and G. S. Jennsen.

Cover typography by G. S. Jennsen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at:

Hypernova Publishing

P.O. Box 1467

Libby, Montana 59923

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

The Hypernova Publishing name, colophon and logo are trademarks of Hypernova Publishing.

Amaranthe VI: Verge / G. S. Jennsen.—1st ed.

978-1-957352-09-1

AMARANTHE UNIVERSE

---

AMARANTHE I: RISE

STARSHINE (Aurora Rising Book One)

VERTIGO (Aurora Rising Book Two)

TRANSCENDENCE (Aurora Rising Book Three)

Shorts: Restless, Vol. I, Restless, Vol. II

AMARANTHE II: REBELLION

SIDESPACE (Aurora Renegades Book One)

DISSONANCE (Aurora Renegades Book Two)

ABYSM (Aurora Renegades Book Three)

Shorts: Apogee

AMARANTHE III: RESONANCE

RELATIVITY (Aurora Resonant Book One)

RUBICON (Aurora Resonant Book Two)

REQUIEM (Aurora Resonant Book Three)

Shorts: Re/Genesis

AMARANTHE IV: MACHINA

EXIN EX MACHINA (Asterion Noir Book 1)

OF A DARKER VOID (Asterion Noir Book 2)

THE STARS LIKE GODS (Asterion Noir Book 3)

AMARANTHE V: RIVEN

CONTINUUM (Riven Worlds Book One)

INVERSION (Riven Worlds Book Two)

ECHO RIFT (Riven Worlds Book Three)

Shorts: Chrysalis

AMARANTHE VI: VERGE

ALL OUR TOMORROWS (Riven Worlds Book Four)

CHAOTICA (Riven Worlds Book Five)

DUALITY (Riven Worlds Book Six)

COSMIC SHORES

MEDUSA FALLING

THE THIEF (2024)

OTHER SHORT STORIES

Solatium  •  Venatoris  •  Meridian  •  Fractals  •  Starlight Express

Learn more at gsjennsen.com/books or visit the Amaranthe Wiki.

CONTENTS

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OVERTURE:

Amaranthe Timeline

Characters & Maps

Synopsis: The Story So Far

RIVEN WORLDS VOLUME TWO:

ALL OUR TOMORROWS

Riven Worlds Book Four

CHAOTICA

Riven Worlds Book Five

DUALITY

Riven Worlds Book Six

APPENDIX:

Author's Note: What's Next For Amaranthe

About the Author

Timeline

View the timeline at the Amaranthe Wiki.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

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HUMANS

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ASTERIONS

OTHER MAJOR CHARACTERS

MINOR CHARACTERS

Abigail Canivon, cybernetics/Artificial expert (Human/Artificial)

Bara Jhouti-min, CINT undercover agent (Barisan)

Castor Greer, Chairman, Security/State Affairs, EA Assembly (Human)

Charles Gagnon, Earth Alliance Prime Minister (Human)

Cupcake, adolescent dragon (Vrachnas)

Cyfeill, Leader, Ourankeli refugees (Ourankeli)

Fai Xing, Commander, AEGIS military (Human)

Ferenc Khoura-lan, Barisan terrorist leader (Barisan)

Grant Mesahle, DAF consultant (Asterion)

Gregor Feldt, friend of Marlee (Human)

Kiernan Phillips, DAF lieutenant, pilot (Asterion)

Lakhes, Idryma Praetor (Katasketousya)

Lontias elasson-Praesidis, Advocacy Consultant (Anaden)

Nolan Bastian, AEGIS Field Marshal (Human)

Olav Zylynski, Gardiens Chief of Security (Human)

Patrici Cabo ela-Diaplas, owner, Cabo Construction (Anaden)

Pinchutsenahn Niikha Qhiyane Kteh (Pinchu), Tokahe Naataan (Khokteh)

Sandor Colby, AEGIS General (Human)

Simon Ettore, AEGIS Commodore, Denali XO (Human)

Sotu Thisiame, Novoloume Pointe-Amiral (Novoloume)

Stanley, Morgan’s Prevo counterpart (Artificial)

Supreme Three, Ruda Supreme(Ruda)

William Solarian, SENTRI Director (Human)

William ‘Will’ Sutton, CINT Operations Director (Human)

Ziton elasson-Praesidis, Advocacy Security Director (Anaden)

CONCORD

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MEMBER SPECIES

Human

Representative: Aristide Vranas

Anaden

Representative: Corradeo Praesidis

Novoloume

Representative: Dean Onai Veshnael

Naraida

Representative: Tasme Chareis

Khokteh

Representative: Pinchutsenahn Niikha Qhiyane Kteh

Barisan

Representative: Daayn Shahs-lan

Dankath

Representative: Bohlke’ban

Efkam

Representative: Ahhk~sae

---

ALLIED SPECIES

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PROTECTED SPECIES

MapMap

Delve into the maps, characters and more at the Amaranthe Wiki.

THE STORY SO FAR

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For a more detailed summary of the events of RIVEN WORLDS BOOKS 1-3 and the previous Amaranthe novels, see the Appendix in the back of the book.

AMARANTHE V: RIVEN

(Riven Worlds: Volume One)

Fourteen years have passed since the events of AURORA RESONANT. Caleb has fully bonded with Akeso, the living planet that saved his life, and he and Alex have made their home there.

Alex introduced Nika to Concord, the multi-species government formed after The Displacement to take the place of the deposed Anaden Directorate. Miriam served as its military leader and Mia its diplomatic one, while the major species of the former Anaden Empire were represented equally in a Senate. Nika warned Concord of the Rasu and received a cautious promise of support, as well as the opening of diplomatic relations. When Nika returned home to the Asterion Dominion, she discovered the other Advisors had created the Omoikane Initiative, a massive project designed to accelerate technology, warfare and logistical plans to combat the Rasu.

Concord was facing conflict on two additional fronts. Negotiations for the Savrakaths, a lizard-evolved Mosaic species, to become an ally of Concord broke down when CINT discovered they were developing antimatter weapons; Marlee, Caleb’s niece, also discovered they were enslaving another species, the Godjans.

The lack of a strong Anaden leader led several elassons to foment a rebellion against Concord. Torval elasson-Machim took it upon himself to bomb the Savrakath’s antimatter facility; unbeknownst to him, Eren was leading a team surveilling it, and Eren’s lover, Cosime, was killed in the attack. Meanwhile, Malcolm was captured by the enemy during a mission to rescue Godjans on Savrak. When Concord approved an alliance with the Asterion Dominion, Ferdinand elasson-Kyvern began a coup to overthrow Concord.

The Rasu launched an attack on the Asterion world of Namino, and Concord sent a fleet to defend their new ally. They were unprepared, however, for how difficult the Rasu were to kill, and the battle turned against them. A leviathan shapeshifted to swallow Miriam’s ship, the Stalwart II, and Rasu infiltrated the vessel. Miriam activated the ship’s self-destruct mechanism to prevent the Rasu from acquiring Concord secrets, killing everyone on board.

The Rasu reached the Namino surface and activated a quantum block, cutting the planet off from the Asterions’ d-gate network. Marlee was injured by a Rasu and trapped on the planet; some Asterions were able to rescue her and retreated to an underground bunker. Caleb stole a ship and went to Namino to find Marlee. He joined the Asterions trapped there in attempting to disrupt the Rasu invasion, at great personal cost to him due to Akeso’s aversion to violence.

AEGIS marines defeated Ferdinand’s coup attempt, and Ferdinand fled to a safe house with a group of sympathetic elassons. Corradeo Praesidis and his granddaughter, Nyx, returned to Concord after a fourteen-year absence. Disturbed by the state of Anaden affairs, Corradeo decided to resume the mantle of leadership and attempt to wrest control away from Ferdinand and the rebelling elassons.

Miriam became one of the first humans to be returned to life via regenesis. She struggled with the transition, as well as with maintaining control of Concord after the coup attempt. Alex and Kennedy reverse-engineered the Machin double-shielding technology and deployed it on AEGIS ships to prevent the Rasu from boarding vessels in the future. Further, the Kats began delivering Rift Bubble devices that created an impermeable barrier around a planet.

The Savrakaths lied and told Concord that Malcolm was dead. Mia, seeking revenge, tricked the Anadens into attacking the Savrakaths; when her deceptions were discovered, she became a fugitive.

Alex and Nika, along with Morgan, traveled to Namino and located Caleb and the others. Together they infiltrated the Rasu stronghold and destroyed the quantum block. A Rift Bubble device was activated on Namino, and the Concord fleet defeated the Rasu occupying the planet.

Malcolm escaped his Savrakath prison and returned home, surprising everyone. Mia, devasted by his apparent death, refused to reconcile with him so long as he declined regenesis. While in hiding on Pandora, Mia encountered Enzio Vilane, a wealthy businessman and secret mob boss with a notable family lineage. When he tried and failed to kidnap her, she agreed to a plea deal with the authorities and returned to Romane—but not to Malcolm.

Corradeo disbanded the rebel elasson group and established a new, Concord-friendly Anaden government. He convinced a brokenhearted Eren to come work for him as an intelligence agent.

Alex and Caleb investigated rumors of an advanced civilization, the Ourankeli, annihilated by the Rasu. They found a lone survivor, who told them of the powerful weapon they created to kill the Rasu (and how they used it too late to save themselves). The three of them traveled to the last settlement of Ourankeli, rescued them from a Rasu attack, and brought the refugees to Concord.

The Savrakaths sneaked an antimatter bomb onto Concord HQ. Richard and David were able to find and disarm it seconds before detonation. In response, the Kats exiled the Savrakaths, trapping their planet inside a modified Rift Bubble.

The Rasu reappeared to attack Toki’taku. The Taiyoks refused a Rift Bubble, but together with a Concord fleet, the Asterions were able to deploy their new Rima Grenades to beat back Rasu forces. However, the Rasu captured an unprotected Concord vessel and, now armed with the location of Concord, launched an assault on the Khokteh world of Ireltse.

Map

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ALL OUR TOMORROWS

RIVEN WORLDS BOOK FOUR

BACK COVER BLURB

War has come to Concord. Now no one and nowhere is safe.

When indestructible warships and dimension-tearing weapons are not enough to defeat the enemy, how do you protect thousands of worlds and trillions of citizens from a Rasu tidal wave bent on devouring everything in its path?

The Rift Bubbles offer much-sought protection, but is the safety they promise anything more than an illusion? A weapon crafted by the nearly extinct Ourankeli may hold the key to gaining the upper hand—or it may be a doomsday bomb too dangerous to chance wielding. The Asterions strive tirelessly to improve upon and create new weapons that can kill Rasu, even as Nika Kirumase draws tantalizingly close to unlocking the true power of kyoseil.

Yet for every strategic move Commandant Miriam Solovy makes to thwart the Rasu’s advances, the enemy swiftly counters in a deadly battle of escalation.

We don’t need to fear death, for it cannot hold us.

Regenesis, long the exclusive domain of Anadens, begins to take root in human society. But the possibility of immortality for all does not sit well with those who would rather keep it for themselves. When a conspiracy to sabotage the future of regenesis is uncovered, an unlikely advocate decides to risk his one-and-only life to bring the perpetrators to justice.

And amidst all the conflict, the enigmatic Katasketousya have been playing a secret long game with the fate of the universe. Now events race toward a rendezvous with their unfolding machinations, and the resulting collision is going to change everything.

*

In Amaranthe, where exotic alien life, AIs, wormholes, indestructible starships and the promise of immortality rule the day, no feat seems out of reach for humanity. But when the worlds of Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir collide and the Rasu horde descends upon them both, more will be asked of heroes past and future. More will be given and more taken, and when the dust settles the very fabric of Amaranthe will be changed forever.

ALL OUR TOMORROWS

CONTENTS

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PART I

KINDRED

PART II

COUNTER

COUNTER

STRATAGEMS

PART III

FOG OF WAR

PART IV

AWAKENINGS

"Let her sleep,

For when she wakes,

She will move mountains."

— Napoleon Bonaparte

PART I

KINDRED

1

---

CAF AURORA

Ireltse Stellar System

Large Magellanic Cloud

Fractured shards of burnished metal littered the upper fringes of the planet’s atmosphere like the scattering of leaves in autumn. Twelve thousand Khokteh warships had been obliterated in a single, sweeping strike by the vanguard of the Rasu fleet.

Now the bulk of the enemy’s vanguard shielded Ireltse as if it owned the planet, preventing Concord vessels from setting up their own defensive perimeter while laying a treacherous gauntlet for any friendly ships that tried to reach the surface.

With plenty of forces to spare, a swarm of Rasu heavy frigates stretching at least five megameters wide and twice as deep were hot on Miriam Solovy’s tail as she sought a foothold from which to begin to turn back the onslaught.

Despite their exhaustive preparations over the last month, today the Rasu had caught them as flat-footed as rookie grunts on their first morning at boot camp. In the opening salvo of their now-explicit war with Concord, the Rasu had sneaked past their sensors and patrols to strike at one of Concord’s most important planets. Worse yet, this looked to be their largest assault to date.

Miriam had changed all the Concord protocols immediately upon learning of the presumed capture of a Khokteh vessel, but immeasurable damage had already been inflicted, in more than one respect.

It was what it was; nothing to do now but fight and scrape their way out of the ditch and through to the other side, where hopefully they could engineer a victory.

Commandant Solovy (CAF Aurora)(Ireltse Command Channel):  Fleet Admiral Jenner, until the Katasketousya fleet arrives to take over, I want the entire AEGIS presence to form a reverse blockade on our rear. Keep the Rasu’s second wave away from the planet until we’re able to gain control of the interior defensive perimeter.

Fleet Admiral Jenner (AFS Denali)(Ireltse Mission Channel):  All AEGIS Battle Groups, with me.

Not a peep of argumentativeness from the Fleet Admiral. It was good to have Malcolm back at the head of the AEGIS fleet.

Commandant Solovy (CAF Aurora)(Ireltse Command Channel):  Navarchos Casmir, demand the attention of the Rasu vessels in Upper Planetary Quadrant 3. While he’s doing so, Pointe-Amiral Thisiame, direct your fast-attack squadrons to flank the enemy along the fringes of Quadrant 3. So long as their trajectories are parallel to the surface or a minimum fifty-degree vector away from Ireltse, utilize negative energy weapons to rid us of their presence.

Terse acknowledgments followed, and across the battlefield ships moved by the tens of thousands.

Thomas, clear out the vessels that have been chasing us, then open fire on any Rasu larger than a frigate—conventional weapons only, but let’s make them feel it. We need to protect the forming blockade at our rear until our ships are firmly in position. Her ship was staffed by a helmsman and a weapons officer, but at this point they served as backups. Thomas could handle both tasks with far greater speed and precision than any human, and with nearly as much ingenuity.

Rasu weapons fire peppered the Aurora’s double-shielding, since this close to the planet she was forgoing the use of the Dimensional Rifter, but she paid it no mind. The reality was, the only thing the Rasu could do to damage the Aurora was to swallow it whole, and that was not going to happen a second time.

‘Weapons are hot and…firing.’

The viewport lit up with the beams from the Aurora’s ten discrete laser weapons, and Miriam’s thoughts raced onward to the next tactical step. Initial scans picked up less than two thousand Khokteh warships still flying above the planet, and none of them was the flagship.

Tokahe Naataan, please respond. Concord forces have reached Ireltse space. I need to know your location and status.

Thankfully, a swift response arrived.

As the entire planet is my responsibility, I am overseeing its defense from the Center. Wohasi Heaka is commanding the space fleet. However, as of six minutes ago, he is no longer responding to comms.

I regret to inform you that your space contingent took a brutal hit shortly before we engaged the Rasu. Please continue to direct your forces from the ground. We’ll handle things up here.

I’ve just ordered another three battalions to divert from Nengllitse and—

Tokahe Naataan, if a ship is not equipped with either a Dimensional Rifter or double defensive shielding, I must advise you to keep it out of direct fire for now. It’s ugly above the planet.

Understood.

She heard the undercurrent of a growl in his reply. The Khokteh were a proud people, and none more so than Pinchu, but the Rasu had obliterated their planetary defenses and most of their fleet in minutes.

Not for the first time, she rued the stubborn arrogance of the AEGIS bureaucrats in their flat-out refusal to share adiamene with any alien species. She understood their professed arguments in favor of the choice, but right now people were dying—people who, due to the particularities of their biology, were unable to take advantage of regenesis—and they didn’t have to be. The Khokteh worlds were uniformly metal-poor, for reasons only the Kats knew. The Khokteh scraped together every kilo of metal they could mine to make the strongest hulls possible for their warships, yet those hulls were collapsing like muslin beneath the might of concentrated Rasu firepower.

Over the last fourteen years, the Khokteh had become more than simply allies. They were Concord, as surely as humanity was, and she would not allow the Rasu to take this planet.

Another message came in from Pinchu then.

Commandant, the planetary sensors that are still operational have registered several dozen Rasu ships in the lower atmosphere and descending rapidly. Ground forces are moving to intercept them.

Acknowledged. Expect some help on the surface soon.

Of course the Rasu had already reached the ground. Dammit, she’d been scrambling to play catch-up since the minute she’d arrived. How to alter the battlefield to regain the advantage?

‘Commandant, a notification from Hyperion indicates the Kat fleet is now on rapid approach from the outskirts of the stellar system.’

Well, their presence would certainly help in this regard.

Commandant Solovy (CAF Aurora)(Ireltse Command Channel):  "Hyperion, welcome to the battle. Everyone, let’s spin the Rasu’s heads. Hyperion, take over for the AEGIS forces and maintain a reverse blockade facing outward from the planet.

"Fleet Admiral Jenner, have the AEGIS Battle Groups take the Machim fleet’s place in burrowing a beachhead through Upper Planetary Quadrant 3, then expand from there as you’re able.

Navarchos Casmir, shift your space forces to Quadrant 4 and send all ground detachments and planetary aerial squadrons to the surface. Fleet Admiral Jenner, send yours as well. Interface directly with the Tokahe Naataan to coordinate your responses to Rasu atmospheric incursions.

She took the time to admire the beauty of several hundred thousand warships erupting in seeming chaos, flinging themselves across the battlefield then regrouping in unconventional formations, all within seconds. Thanks to Artificials, Prevos and the accelerating advancement of technology they brought with them, this was not her father’s warfare.

Speaking of weapons that had been unimaginable a mere two decades ago, though, where was their promised Rift Bubble?

2

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AFS TAMAO

Ireltse Stellar System

M arine squads A3, A4 and A5, report to your DAR craft for immediate deployment to the surface. Dropship pilots, acknowledge when you are heavy. Marine squads B4 and B6, prep to deploy in fifteen minutes.

Colonel Carl Odaka studied the list of available forces, searching for ways to augment the groundside squads, then sent a message on one of the mission sub-channels. Lt. Colonel Grenier, my men are going to need air support in the marked grid in ten minutes. What can you give them?

DAR A:  We are heavy and ready to launch.

Two fighter squadrons and one Eidolon squadron are launching in two minutes to help clear the road to the surface. Once your squads are on the ground, I’ll give them cover down there for as long as it’s practical.

My intent is for it to be practical all the way to victory. Sending you the squad contacts now. He’d think uncharitable thoughts about the courage of fighter pilots, but in truth most he’d known were certifiably insane. It was their commanders who were the milksops.

DAR B:  We are heavy and ready to launch.

DAR C:  We are heavy and ready to launch.

DAR A, B and C, you are go for launch. DAR D and E, prepare for deployment in twelve minutes. Marine squads B1, B2 and B5, begin deployment preparations.

Odaka wanted to send entire regiments down in one fell swoop, but the reality was they could better penetrate the Rasu blockade and establish defensible positions by moving in small groups. And in half an hour, he’d have over a thousand Marines engaging the enemy on the ground.

In the corner of his vision, the intra-ship activity screen confirmed the DARs’ exit from the carrier’s massive ship hold and initial descent into the atmosphere.

A twinge in his gut protested; he wanted badly to be on one of those dropships. Wanted to get his hands dirty with Rasu blood, or grease, or whatever they bled. But he wasn’t going to make the same mistake Malcolm Jenner had. His men needed him alive and commanding them far more than they needed one additional gun on the ground. So he would stay on the bridge and do his duty.

Divider

IRELTSE

AFS Drop and Recovery Vessel B

Lieutenant Tele Diya leaned in over Major Whalesk’s shoulder to peer out at the battlefield as they descended, stealthed, toward the surface. The fortified isolation of the Tamao’s hold hadn’t allowed him to get any sense of how they were faring so far, and this was his first glimpse at the ongoing clash. But he was a Marine, not a warship commander, and from this vantage all he saw was bedlam and destruction on both sides.

Whalesk, however, kept his attention fixed on the HUD. Tele, get your ass in a jump seat before you land face-first in the supply closet.

Yes, Major, sir. He’d known Whalesk for a couple of years, and he and the pilot had shared at least half a dozen missions by now—most recently the nightmare of a mission on Savrak. So while he obeyed the order from a superior officer, he laced his retort with a teasing tone.

Diya had barely gotten strapped in when the first hard bumps of the atmosphere hit, and he privately conceded that had he been standing, they might well have tossed him face-first directly into the supply closet.

He nodded a greeting at Captain Chacko across the hold. He knew Chacko somewhat less well than Whalesk, but the man had played a large role in pulling his broken body out of the literal fire on Savrak, so he was now forever prepared to take a laser shot for the man. Granted, he’d take one for any of his teammates, but he’d jump in front of one for Chacko.

The rough-and-tumble atmospheric run finally eased, and the interior walls transformed into visual projections of their descent path so they’d know what they were heading into.

It would be too pithy by half to say what they were ‘heading into’ was a warzone, but it was the most apt description. Rasu aerial vessels created havoc, haze and rubble across the city. Squads of Khokteh fighters and interceptors gave chase, but he watched four of them explode in less than twenty seconds. Damn, was everyone getting their butts kicked out here?

A squad of hardier Eidolons swept in from above to join the battle, and he started to feel a little better about their chances. The Artificial fighters were unequivocal badasses.

Whalesk came over the speaker. Thirty seconds to drop.

Everyone unfastened their restraints and stood. Diya double-checked all his gear—which, as the team’s tech officer, amounted to twice as much as anyone else carried. Though at least he didn’t need to haul around one of the bulkier heavy guns everyone else toted.

He did, however, sport one of the new handheld negative energy guns. The Rectifier was the damnedest weapon he’d ever laid eyes on. Interdimensional magical destruction that he could hold in one hand.

The DAR was sturdy enough to take a beating, and it descended through constant fire to hover less than three meters above a dusty street in the central quadrant of the city. The rear bay door lowered and everyone leapt out, adopting a defensive formation once boots were on the ground.

Captain Harris checked everyone off. The Center is four hundred meters to our east. Khokteh troops are manning the immediate perimeter. Our job today is to keep ground-based Rasu from so much as ruffling their fur. Lieutenant Diya?

Launching surveillance drones. The five drones were each no bigger than a fly. They were programmed to sweep the area around the squad in all four directions up to a kilometer in the sky, sending visual and auditory feeds to Diya to alert him to any Rasu advances.

Harris pointed to his left, then his right. Team Alpha, establish a defensive position on the—

Diya had no choice but to interrupt him. Four giant Rasu mechs are incoming from the south-southwest. Sixty meters and closing fast.

Snipers on the roof to the left! I want rocket launchers staged behind that trashed vehicle over there. Everyone else, defensive positions. Let’s set the net.

Diya had just flattened himself against the alley-side exterior wall of what appeared to be a weird Khokteh clothes shop when the four Rasu mechs rounded the corner one block down, charging ahead like buffalo in a stampede. Lieutenant Viyan let loose a rocket that slammed into the right-most one, shredding it into a hundred pieces. But it didn’t disintegrate the Rasu, because Diya’s squad had not yet been blessed with a supply of the much-rumored Asterion Rima Grenades.

‘Sniper rifle’ was something of a misnomer for the weapons the marksmen carried as they used a combination of lift boots and powered backpacks to ‘climb’ up the wall to the roof and sight down on the mechs. The slugs their weapons fired were akin to tiny drones, adjusting their trajectories mid-flight to strike moving targets at a location designated by the shooter to cause maximum damage.

Two more mechs shattered while he got into position, then a follow-up rocket launched to tear up the fourth, and scattered-but-not-dead Rasu pieces darkened the stone street.

Now it was his turn. He sent a specialized drone toward the wreckage that emitted a signal shown to interfere with the Rasu’s…intentional activity, he guessed. In testing, it slowed down the Rasu’s ability to move and reform by up to thirty percent, but this was the first time he’d used it in the field.

One of the surveillance drones swept by overhead to give him a close look at the kill zone and…well, the Rasu pieces were slinking around listlessly and not glomming themselves back into mech shapes, so the emitter must be working.

The squad had spread out beyond earshot, so he switched to comms.

Lieutenant Diya:  Targets R1-4 neutralized for now.

An encroaching shadow heralded the approach of a long, flattish Rasu vessel. He peered up to see it stop to hover eighty meters from their location. A circular platform descended out of its belly, carrying several dozen additional Rasu mechs toward the street below.

Captain Harris:  Prepare for incoming.

Divider

AMF IMPERIUM ALPHA

Ireltse Stellar System

As the bulk of his warships rearranged themselves and prepared to drive a wedge through the Rasu forces blockading the planet, Casmir elasson-Machim dispatched four hovertank regiments to the surface. The Rasu were gaining a major foothold in the northwest sector of the city, and troops on foot were not going to wipe them out on their own. Air support looked to be occupied dogfighting the smaller Rasu craft for the foreseeable future, so it was up to the hovertanks to tip the balance on the surface.

Dropping a cluster of Rima Grenades on the Rasu ground forces would go a long way toward taking care of the problem, but doing so would also transform a quarter of the city into a crater. In the old days, Casmir would not have sought clarification before doing exactly that without hesitation, but this wasn’t the old days, and no Concord commander was ready to go scorched earth quite yet.

They were trying to make up ground lost due to the Rasu’s surprise appearance here. The enemy had inflicted significant damage in the opening minutes, but Casmir’s snap assessment led him to believe they were already gaining the upper hand on the enemy. Hopefully, they would be aided soon by the activation of a planet-wide Rift Bubble. If nothing else, it should cap the number of Rasu in-atmosphere, permanently dividing the battlespace into manageable chunks and turning a battle of attrition into a winnable proposition.

He followed the hovertank regiments’ progress as they landed and moved into attack formations, but solely via the tactical combat feed. Once upon a time, he’d have been able to slip into the mind of any one of the soldiers and experience the ground combat first-hand from the safety of his bridge. But the integrals were all but gone, useful only for consciousness backup and regenesis purposes. Anaden minds were now sacrosanct.

He didn’t disagree with the change, of course, but it did make commanding battlefields considerably more challenging. He had to trust his men to do their jobs using skill and wits—and he did. Anaden society was evolving more rapidly every day, and it wasn’t always clear into what. But for now, Machim soldiers were still bred and honed for a single purpose: to wage war.

Divider

IRELTSE

The massive frame of the Rasu mech filled Diya’s vision like a devil sent up from the abyss to drag him into Hell. He gripped the Rectifier with both hands and fired—and the abyss came for the Rasu instead.

Diya stumbled backward in a hurry, as he didn’t want tendrils from the negative energy vacuum to snag any of his limbs.

Then the Rasu and the abyss were gone. The entire encounter had lasted less than five seconds.

Captain Harris:  Need backup at my coordinates!

Diya shook off the adrenaline rush and directed one of the drones to the captain’s location, feeding the visuals to the rest of the squad. Harris and Chacko were pinned down by five—no, six—Rasu that had transformed themselves into giant, six-legged crawlers.

He might get his chance to return the favor for Chacko today after all. He rushed forward, Rectifier drawn, and zig-zagged across the open road to reach a vantage where he wouldn’t take out his teammates along with the Rasu. Here. He slammed to a stop and fired above the trapped Marines and into the Rasu.

The top half of two of the Rasu were instantly atomized, but their legs and torsos kept moving. He blinked, and a canonized weapon morphed out of the top of one of the torsos. Damnable creatures!

Chacko hurled a frag grenade straight into the wide barrel of the cannon, and the next second Rasu bits were flying in every direction. The other mechs continued advancing, and one of those he’d shot reformed itself with a long blade for a fifth appendage.

Chacko grabbed Harris by his uniform material and dragged him backward, out of the reach of the stabbing blade, while Viyan fired a SAL into the mechs at nearly point-blank range. Two Rasu staggered and lost a step, and Diya quickly fired the Rectifier again. This time the whole bodies of both vaporized, buying Chacko and Harris another five or ten seconds.

As his teammates cleared the pile of rubble where they’d been hunkered down, he realized Harris’ left leg was a mangled mess—hence Chacko dragging the man. God, did he know how that felt!

Lieutenant Diya (Ireltse Sub-mission Channel 12):  Need medical assistance at Captain Harris’ coordinates. And air support. Air support would be great.

A low rumble, akin to a growl, blasted his eardrums, and Diya’s heart sank. What was next, a platoon of Godzilla-sized Rasu come to trample them into oblivion?

Through the omnipresent haze caused by rampant explosions and falling buildings, the profile of an avenue-wide line of hovertanks appeared from the east. Their design said they weren’t AEGIS. Anaden? They had to be.

Wide beams streaked out from three of the leading hovertanks to cut into the remaining Rasu mechs in dramatic fashion. The Rasu that retained enough appendages to move pivoted to engage the approaching vehicles, and three of his teammates rushed in to help Chacko evacuate their captain to safety.

Diya breathed out in relief. Thank God the Anadens were their allies today.

3

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KATASKATOUSYA SUPERDREADNOUGHT

Ireltse Stellar System

The eerie darkness of the superdreadnought’s interior wrapped Alex in a blanket of haunting emptiness. Only the narrow white streams of operating code racing along the hull provided any light in the cavernous space, and the far reaches were cast in inky, foreboding shadows.

Valkyrie murmured in her mind. The welcome has not improved since the last time we visited.

She chuckled to try to break the spell, then reflexively jumped as the sound echoed around her. No, it hasn’t.

Beside her, Caleb looked somewhat disconcerted. Your description of the interior of these ships did not fully convey the reality of how it feels to be inside one.

What words could?

Fair point.

It is only a machine, and one not designed to host organic beings. What does it matter how it ‘feels’?

Alex blew out a breath and shifted toward the swirl of pinpoint lights materializing beside her. None at all, Mesme. Where’s the Rift Bubble?

Loaded into a launch tube and ready for deployment. We merely need to maneuver through the Rasu forces until we are close enough to the planet to ensure its safe arrival.

The hull jerked sideways beneath their feet. This not being a vessel designed to host organic beings, there was neither artificial gravity nor inertial dampers, and only their mag boots kept them rooted to the floor.

Which we are now in the process of doing.

I can tell. Are we stealthed?

It seems prudent.

The Kats didn’t often bother to cloak their vessels, but they were capable of doing so effectively when needed. She and the other Noetica Prevos had learned all about the effectiveness, and the weaknesses, of their stealth technology during the Metigen War. In the middle of a pitched battle, the Rasu would be busy with all the ships they could see, so it shouldn’t take much stealth for even the giant superdreadnought to slip through the front lines unmolested.

You do not need to be present for the deployment, either of you. I assure you, I will take care in securing and activating the device.

We know you will. It’s just that we have a special interest in seeing this particular planet saved.

Very well. Mesme’s presence pulsed as it meandered along the empty hold. It is…ironic, I believe is the appropriate word. Today, we—the Katasketousya—are saving the Khokteh, when once we were manipulating their self-inflicted destruction. This is your doing.

Caleb smiled. And yours. You’re the one who convinced the Idryma to accept our conditions, preserve the Khokteh and ally with us.

You made a compelling case—all I did was endorse it. And thus here we are today.

Here we are today. Alex rubbed at the material of the environment suit covering her arms. The chill was all in her head, for the suit kept her body temperature regulated, but she felt cold nonetheless. She was trying to focus on the battle proceeding outside and the actions they’d committed to seeing done today, but memories of her last visit to a superdreadnought churned to the forefront of her mind. It had been the first time she’d properly delved hidden dimensions and higher-order code, and in doing so sabotaged an entire enemy fleet. But more significantly for her, it had been the first time she’d heard her father’s reborn voice in her head. These days, she’d all but forgotten what it was like for him not to be in her life, flesh and blood. But right now—

The floor lurched again, and she and Caleb pitched forward to land roughly on their hands and knees on the frigid floor. Mesme!

Incidental glancing fire. We are beyond it now.

Great. She rubbed at her left elbow, which had suffered the brunt of the landing.

Caleb placed a hand on her shoulder. Are you all right?

Yeah. She nodded a tad sluggishly, and they climbed back to their feet.

Mesme was now behind them, so she lifted her mag boots and rotated around. Is it time to launch yet?

Thirty-five seconds until we reach a position I have deemed safe for deployment. Recall, the Rift Bubble device possesses minimal defenses of its own while in transit, so we do not want to leave it exposed for longer than is necessary.

Understood. I’ll let Mom and Pinchu know it’s almost ready.

Mom, Ireltse should have an active Rift Bubble in the next ten minutes.

Not a minute too soon, either. Can I ask you to stay safely distant from the ground until we remove the Rasu there? It’s unpleasant on the surface.

A corner of her lips curled up. You can ask, but you know I have a compulsion to help the Khokteh.

So I do.

She sent a similar message to Pinchu and received a grunt in response.

Mesme vanished for barely a second, then reappeared. The launch has been initiated.

Excellent. The same landing coordinates as we discussed earlier?

Correct.

She took Caleb’s gloved hand in hers and opened a wormhole in front of them, relieved to be leaving the tomblike superdreadnought behind. On the other side of the tear in space-time, the deceptively quiet and peaceful Ireltse steppes awaited. They walked through.

Divider

IRELTSE

They stood at the bottom of a cliff, in a wide, dusty canyon lined with topaz and vermilion boulders. No structures were visible in either direction to the horizon, but the topography was nonetheless familiar. Have we been here before, Valkyrie?

We are situated around fifty kilometers northwest from where Pinchu and Cassela’s home stood before it was destroyed in the Nengllitse attack.

Ah. I can see the geographic similarities now.

Alex collapsed her helmet and breathed in deeply, taking a minute to remember.

This is truly gorgeous, Cassela. Your planet is beautiful.

The fur around Cassela’s neck fluttered. "We find much peace here when times become difficult. I encourage Pinchu to find more, but leaders must bear the burdens of their shikei ."

She still wasn’t opening the connection to Valkyrie for fear of the reaction it might cause, but she could always talk to her.

Valkyrie, there isn’t a translation for that word?

‘ ‘People’ would suffice for a translation, but the term encompasses a broader notion of clan, as well as history and future—their ancestors and the children yet to be born. It is a compelling word.’

Alex sighed wistfully, for the concept made her think of her mother. She hoped the burdens she had left her mother with were lighter than those which had come before, but suddenly she wasn’t certain. No matter their weight, she had no doubt Admiral Miriam Solovy could bear them, but it was tragic she had to bear them alone.

At least Pinchu has you to give him comfort.

Mey, and comfort I do provide. But enough of sentimental poeticism.

Yet you have a precise translation for ‘poeticism?’

‘It is an accurate interpretation. I stand by it.’

Cassela gestured to Alex’s forearm. What an enchanting bracelet—there is much beauty in simplicity.

She ran fingertips over the curves of the smooth, onyx metal, smiling to herself. Thank you. It was a gift from Caleb—the first gift he ever gave me, in fact. It…well, its origin is a long story, but it holds a lot of meaning for me.

As it should be for such treasures. Come, let us rejoin the others.

Alex stole a last look at the fading rays of sunlight beyond the canyon then trailed Cassela inside.

The Khokteh had lost a fierce, extraordinary warrior the next day, and Pinchu had lost the greater part of his heart. He’d recovered in time, at least to outside observation, but he’d never quite seemed whole again. He was far too busy for her to ask him right now, but if asked, she suspected he would simply say that he was glad Cassela was not here to witness the destruction being inflicted upon her beloved world by the Rasu.

But they were about to bring that destruction to a swift end. A few meters away, the protective casing surrounding the Rift Bubble fell away. The next instant the extradimensional power source at its center flared to life, and a few seconds later the dimensional barrier exploded outward to encircle the planet in its sheltering embrace.

Relief flooded her mind, and the tension in her muscles eased.

Mom, the Rift Bubble is active.

Wonderful. We will switch strategies accordingly.

She smiled graciously at Mesme, who undulated nearby. Thank you, again. We’ll take it from here.

Of course. I understand there is a rapidly increasing demand for these devices, so I will check in on their production. Its lights, pale and washed-out against the vermilion clay backdrop, swept off and vanished.

Caleb squeezed her hand. We should let Pinchu know the tide will be turning soon.

We should. Want to tell him in person?

If we can get his attention for two seconds, absolutely.

Mom said he was overseeing the planetary defense from the Center. She extended her arm and the onyx bracelet encircling it, and a new wormhole opened in front of them.

Divider

CAF AURORA

Ireltse Stellar System

Miriam scrutinized each of the three tactical screens with a studied eye. Reports from Navarchos Casmir, Colonel Odaka and Lt. Colonel Grenier indicated the ground forces were still having a difficult time of it on the planet below. She ordered a twenty-percent increase in personnel and ships across the board, then refocused her attention on the battle outside her viewport, where they were making more progress.

Now that the Rasu knew about the effects of a Rift Bubble, if not the cause, the Aurora was no longer able to bait Rasu vessels to the barrier and into its trap, which was a shame. That particular trick had been rather satisfying.

On the other hand, with an active Rift Bubble, they no longer had to concentrate on protecting the planet below and could direct their efforts to permanently destroying as many Rasu in their sights as possible.

Thomas, shift to TP-Sweep 2.

‘Executing.’

Field Marshal Bastian (AFS Leonidas)(Ireltse Command Channel):  AEGIS Fast-Attack Regiments D1-4 have arrived and are heavy.

Commandant Solovy (CAF Aurora)(Ireltse Command Channel):  Excellent. Have them concentrate on obliterating the Rasu debris we’ve created before it reforms.

The resupply of negative energy missiles the regiments carried was a timely addition, as these battles inevitably devolved into a race between their dwindling stock of the weapons and the number of Rasu willing to commit to the fight.

Her mind briefly drifted to the trillions, or perhaps more, of Rasu controlling hundreds of galaxies just beyond the cosmic horizon. They remained on the sidelines of this war thus far, but for how long?

Divider

IRELTSE

Pinchu spotted them the instant Alex and Caleb emerged through the wormhole. He shoved his way past a circle of advisors then threw his long arms around them both, trapping them against his large, barrel chest. My friends! Tell me you bring good news.

We do. It came out breathy and winded, and Alex carefully extracted herself from his embrace while Caleb did the same. The Rasu on the ground and in the sky at this moment are the most there will ever be.

The Rift Bubble is active?

It is. Do you need more weapons? Rima Grenades?

Ah. He gestured to his left in the direction of a tangerine-furred Khokteh in full military attire pacing by the war table. I’m told we received ten large crates of the Asterions’ grenades and launchers minutes ago. They are being distributed to our rooftop snipers as we speak.

Excellent. Caleb clasped Pinchu on the upper arm. We won’t keep you from your crucial duties. Go get your planet back.

I like that spirit. Yes! Pinchu spun and shoved his way back into the inner circle, issuing orders all the way.

Alex laughed, grateful he was now headed toward a happy ending today. There were losses, obviously, but in comparison to what could have befallen Ireltse if not for the Rift Bubble, if not for Concord….

She wandered toward the opening in the far wall to gaze out across the city, and her buoyant mood took a nosedive. ‘Losses’ didn’t begin to cover the destruction consuming the landscape.

To the east, the competitive arena where young Khokteh men proved their worth in hand-to-hand combat was now a ragged impact crater. To the north, almost two kilometers away, a Rasu beam had turned a city block into a pile of crumbled stone. A little farther away, the largest road leading out of downtown had been shorn in two and upended, as if by an earthquake. On the western horizon, half a dozen Rasu frigates were having their way with warehouses and factories. To the left of the factories, dozens of Machim hovertanks moved against what might have once been Rasu bipedals, but now resembled twisted creatures from a nightmare. The enemy had risen to the occasion and combined their forms to match the hovertanks in size and firepower.

And everywhere the streets were visible, there were bodies.

She sensed Caleb press in behind her. Damn. This is bad.

Do you want to help? I think we should help.

I think that, Rift Bubble or no, they’re going to need all the help they can get for a while longer.

"Valkyrie, bring the Siyane down to the surface, wherever you can find a bare spot to land. We’ll join you, then go harass some Rasu."

‘With pleasure. ETA six minutes.’

She fisted her hands at her chin, rested against Caleb’s chest to watch the skirmishes tearing apart the city, and waited. So many Rasu had made it to the surface already. The enemy had learned from previous battles and had done whatever was necessary to get ships on the ground before a Rift Bubble was activated. Some had likely made it here before the first non-Khokteh Concord ship even arrived at the scene. They’d moved swiftly and decisively.

She’d need to talk to her mother about it later, once the battle was won, but it felt as though the Rasu were adapting to Concord tactics distressingly quickly—

4

---

IRELTSE

Caleb blinked rapidly until his eyes consented to staying open, but his vision remained obscured by a spiderweb of…hair?

Alex!

She lay on top of him, unmoving. Panic seized his chest as he grasped her shoulders and eased her off to the side, rolling with her until he faced her on the floor of the Center. Alex? Can you hear me?

Nothing. Dread joined the panic to choke off the air in his lungs. Two fingers went to her neck and felt for a pulse. Please, please, please.

Strong and steady. She was merely unconscious—which wasn’t good, but far better than the alternative.

You vanished from Akeso’s self for a single span of time. It caused me distress. What happened?

He breathed in and let his crisis management training take over, assessing his own state while his hands roved over Alex’s body in search of wounds. His eVi was offline, and commands to restart it were met with silence, but his link to Akeso persisted. I’m not sure. Is Alex all right? Can you sense her?

Yes. She is…diminished, but her physicality and life force are intact.

That was actually very reassuring. Akeso’s connection to Alex had been stronger since Namino, if in inconsistent ways, and he took great comfort from the fact that it remained robust now. Which meant….

He closed his eyes again and reached across Akeso for her. Felt her heart beating to send blood coursing through her veins. After a moment, he sensed her consciousness stirring to wakefulness, and what a miraculous sensation it was.

Mmm.

Alex shifted in his arms, and he gently brushed her hair out of her face. Hey, baby. Are you here?

Her nose wrinkled up, and she opened one eye a slit. Where is ‘here’? Are we…on Ireltse still? I don’t— She struggled up to a sitting position. Valkyrie? Valkyrie, answer me! She stared at him in alarm. She’s gone.

The déjà vu was overwhelming. Here in the Center, knocked unconscious without warning, waking to find fundamental systems inoperable….

Did they use an EMP? He sat up with Alex and, for the first time since waking, took in the rest of the room. The Khokteh were all standing, though the tenor of the overlapping arguments had taken on a darker quality. There was no visible damage to the area.

He raised his voice above the din. Pinchu, did someone use an EMP?

Pinchu’s face appeared from between two huddling Khokteh to peer down at them. You are hurt?

We’re fine. But what happened?

We did not use an EMP. Our communications system is unaccountably down, however. What do you know?

Nothing, yet. We can’t talk to anyone, either. He returned his attention to Alex. Anything from Valkyrie?

"No. And it’s not that she isn’t responding or is focused on something else. She’s not there at all. Also, my eVi won’t restart."

Mine, either. The obvious answer hit him like a mental sledgehammer, and he inhaled sharply. It wasn’t an EMP. It’s a quantum block.

What? She shook her head weakly. You might be right. Nothing with quantum components is working. But how would the Rasu have managed it?

I can’t say, but… he clambered to his feet and lunged for the window …what if it took out the Rift Bubble?

Oh, fuck. She stumbled up next to him. The Rasu must have made sure they brought down the materials needed to construct some manner of block on the fly. Clever sons of bitches— She grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. "Caleb, where is the Siyane?"

You don’t…right, because Valkyrie…okay, what was the last information about its position you remember? Valkyrie’s thoughts and actions were always percolating around just beneath her conscious awareness, so she likely knew more than she realized.

Alex’s eyes squinted shut. Valkyrie had chosen a landing site about four kilometers to the southwest of here, where the fighting is still sporadic. She was twenty-two seconds from landing… her eyes reopened, churning with fear teetering on the edge of terror …then nothing. The quantum block would’ve disconnected her from the ship. It must have crashed.

It’s going to be fine. Adiamene hull, remember?

I know, I know. Hopefully the impact crater isn’t too hideous. Caleb, if we can get to it, I can fly it. We have to find where they’ve thrown together their makeshift quantum block and disable it, or this battle is lost.

This was only one of so many reasons why he loved her madly. There were hundreds of thousands of warships on the scene and tens of thousands of soldiers on the ground, but her mind had gone directly to how she could personally turn the tables on the enemy.

Let’s do it. Four kilometers to the southwest, you said? He spun around and led her through the raucous crowd of military advisors until they reached Pinchu. We think the Rasu managed to get a quantum block operational, which would have disabled the Rift Bubble.

Damnable metal aliens! So we are now vulnerable to a new onslaught?

Yes. Look, if we can reach our ship, we’ll try to locate the block and destroy it. It, um, landed a few kilometers to the southwest of here.

Pinchu’s lips pulled back, revealing more of his many teeth. Why don’t you simply…? He waved a hand in a circle.

Alex’s chin dropped to her chest. I can’t. There’s nothing more quantum than a Caeles Prism.

Ah. If you say so. What do you need to accomplish your task?

An idea took hold in Caleb’s mind. Are there any vehicles nearby we can borrow? We’ve driven one before.

Yes, of course. On Sublevel 2. There will be a ramp from the parking area leading to the surface. Pinchu clasped Caleb’s hand tightly, damn near crushing the bones. Hurry, if you can.

We will.

Then Alex was dragging him toward the door.

5

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CAF AURORA

Ireltse Stellar System

Fleet Admiral Jenner (AFS Denali)(Ireltse Command Channel):  I’ve just lost contact with Planetary Assault Regiments C2 and C3. Now with every ship operating on or near the surface. And…dammit, over a thousand additional vessels.

Jolted by the uncommon frustration in Malcolm’s voice, Miriam’s gaze darted to the tactical screens, then the viewport. Against the planet’s profile, hundreds of ships tumbled out of control. Worse, Rasu vessels everywhere had suddenly abandoned their current dogfights to descend freely into the atmosphere.

Commandant Solovy (CAF Aurora)(Ireltse Command Channel):  The Rift Bubble is no longer operational. Standby.

But why?

Fleet Admiral Jenner (AFS Denali)(Ireltse Command Channel):  Something else is going on, too. Multiple captains overseeing squadrons in-atmosphere are reporting a loss of functionality by ship Artificials, as well as communication and other failures. It’s sounding as if functionality returns after they retreat one-to-two megameters from the planet, which they had to do in order to report in.

‘Commandant, the evidence suggests a quantum block is now active on the surface. Such a device would likely disable a Rift Bubble.’

Miriam couldn’t deny the Rasu a touch of respect. Shrewd aliens. Alex, are you there?

No response arrived. She forcibly buried the concern that flared, as her daughter’s failure to answer was merely a technical side-effect of the quantum block. Thomas, get me Mnemosyne.

Commandant Solovy (CAF Aurora)(Ireltse Command Channel):  Assume a quantum block extends to a circumference of two megameters around the planet and pull all ships back beyond that perimeter, then revert to TP-Blockade 2.

A swarm of lights moved against the over-bright illumination of the bridge to Miriam’s left. Mnemosyne?

It is I. Is there a difficulty I can assist with?

Yes. The Rasu that were already on the ground when the Rift Bubble went active managed to construct a quantum block of sufficient power to take out the device. What can you do?

The lights vacillated in an agitated pattern. We, too, are vulnerable to a quantum block. I cannot penetrate it.

So there’s no way for you to help?

We are conferring, but no, not at present. Is Alex still on the surface?

She is, but I don’t know her status.

The lights calmed a bit. I believe she will be able to rectify the situation.

How?

I do not know.

You simply believe in her?

In point of fact, yes.

Good. So do I. Assuming a building didn’t fall on her, or worse. She wanted to message David, but doing so would only prolong her fixation on something she could do nothing to change. Unless…perhaps she could do something. A tiny thing.

‘Commandant, additional formations of Rasu have arrived in the stellar system.’

Of course they have. They planned this all along. She pivoted to the ethereal presence undulating nearby. Mesme, send all Kat superdreadnoughts in the system to engage the new arrivals and keep them away from the planet.

As you wish. The lights faded and were gone.

Next, she sent a private pulse to the Fleet Admiral.

Malcolm, we need to buy Alex as much time as possible on the surface to disable the quantum block. What’s the status of the Parapet Gambit technology?

Alex is on the surface? Damn. Um, the programming for it is installed on the 1st and 2nd Assault Divisions’ dreadnoughts, cruisers and heavy frigates. So far, the power requirements are far too massive for any smaller ships to be able to support it.

But it works?

It does appear to work in testing, which is all we’ve had time to explore. I see where you’re going with this, but it’s not installed on enough ships to protect the whole planet.

I know. Build the web at the region above the capital city, since that’s where the Rasu are concentrating their incursion. And the ship captains will need to be ready to adapt and move when the Rasu respond to being rebuffed.

You mean the ship Prevos will.

I don’t care who’s maneuvering the ships, so long as they stay in front of the Rasu.

Yes, ma’am. Give us thirty seconds.

While she waited, she took every other step in her power to keep more Rasu off the surface and out here in the battlespace.

Commandant Solovy (CAF Aurora)(Ireltse Command Channel):  "All nuclear weapon-equipped vessels are ordered to report to KSS Sectors 6A-C immediately. Nuclear weapons use is authorized outside of Demarcation Line Charlie.

Navarchos Casmir, form an intercept gauntlet ten megameters in from the Kat formations to catch the Rasu that make it through the Kats’ firing squad. All fleet commanders, order every regiment capable of reaching the KSS in less than forty minutes to do so now.

So many risks. She despised using nuclear weapons, even as she recognized that their detonation twenty megameters or more from any planet was…not safe, but as safe as their use could ever be. And pulling patrols and planetary defense regiments off their duties left so many planets and people vulnerable, should the Rasu choose now to launch a multi-system attack.

But everything Concord stood for meant she must defend this planet and people currently under attack with every single resource at her disposal.

Outside the viewport, several organized wings of large AEGIS vessels began moving into position a